Garden Party

Makes 1 garden: 24 cupcakes

A garden plan should always include veggies the kids will eat, like candy-coated chocolate peas, taffy radishes, fruit-chew carrots, and frosted-flake lettuce. Our cupcake garden includes rows of freshly turned chocolate earth, chewy licorice vines, and a summer harvest of sweet vegetables sure to please a crowd: Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots, Peas, Shovels, Signs.

• 24 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 2 whole graham crackers
• 2 sticks mint chewing gum
• ¼ cup white chocolate melting wafers (Wilton)
• 6 thin pretzel sticks
• 1 cup vanilla frosting
• Green, red, orange, and blue food coloring (available at baking supply stores or see Sources)
• 1 can (16 ounces) chocolate frosting
• 2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (Oreos, Famous Chocolate Wafers)
• 1 cup cornflakes
• 9 green fruit chews (Jolly Ranchers)
• 1 vanilla fruit chew (Tootsie Roll Midgee, Airhead)
• 4 red fruit chews (Jolly Ranchers)
• 8 orange fruit chews (Starbursts)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 20 green candy-coated chocolates (M&M’s)
• Green licorice laces (Kellogg’s Watermelon Madness Fruit Streamers)
• 2 teaspoons multicolored chocolate-covered sunflower seeds (available at gourmet candy stores or see Sources)

1. Using a serrated knife, cut the graham crackers in half crosswise. Cut each stick of gum into a ¾-inch-long triangle and pinch on one side to make the shovel blades. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Place the white chocolate melting wafers in a ziplock bag. Do not seal the bag. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Massage the chocolates in the bag, return to the microwave, and repeat the process until the chocolate is smooth, about 30 seconds total (see Techniques). Press out the excess air and seal the bag.
2. Snip a ⅛-inch corner from the bag and pipe an outline around each graham cracker. Fill in with more chocolate and spread into a smooth, thin layer to cover the cracker. Place on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.
3. Turn each cracker over and pipe a line of melted chocolate down the center of the uncoated side. Place a pretzel stick on top of the line of chocolate, leaving about a 2-inch overhang. Refrigerate until set. Cut the remaining 2 pretzel sticks into two 2-inch and two ¾-inch lengths. Pipe a small dot of melted chocolate on one end of the 2-inch pretzel stick and attach the smaller pretzel piece crosswise to make the shovel handle. Attach the gum shovel blade to the other end of the pretzel with a dot of melted chocolate. Place on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.
4. Tint ½ cup of the vanilla frosting green with the food coloring. Tint 1 tablespoon of the vanilla frosting red. Tint 2 tablespoons of the vanilla frosting orange. Tint ¼ cup of the vanilla frosting blue. Spoon each color, including the remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla frosting, into separate ziplock bags, press out the excess air, and seal. Spoon ¼ cup of the chocolate frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Snip a 1/16-inch corner from each of the bags. Pipe the vegetable names in chocolate frosting and the vegetable shapes in the colored frostings on top of the chocolate-coated side of the graham crackers. Pipe a blue line of frosting around the border of each sign.
5. Place the chocolate cookie crumbs in a medium bowl. Spread the remaining chocolate frosting over the tops of the cupcakes. Starting at the edge, roll the tops of the cupcakes in the crumbs to cover completely. Arrange the cupcakes in 4 rows of 6 on a serving platter.
6. Work on one vegetable at a time.

Lettuce

Makes 4 lettuce cupcakes

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Place the cornflakes in a small bowl. Spoon the remaining green frosting into a small microwavable bowl. Microwave the frosting, stirring frequently, until it is smooth and has the texture of lightly whipped cream, 5 to 10 seconds (see Dipping Cupcakes). Pour the frosting over the cornflakes, toss well to coat, and spread the cornflakes onto the cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Cut 2 of the green fruit chews in half and shape into balls. Place 1 green ball on top of each of 4 cupcakes and arrange 8 to 12 green-frosted cornflakes around the balls to make the leaves. Secure with a dot of green frosting, if necessary.

Radishes

Makes 4 radish cupcakes

For each radish, cut the vanilla fruit chew into quarters. Roll 1 red fruit chew together with 1 vanilla piece, keeping the colors separate, and shape into a ball. Pinch the white end to form the radish root. Place 1 radish on top of each of 4 cupcakes, and add several green-frosted cornflakes for the leaves.

Carrots

Makes 5 carrot cupcakes

Cut 2 of the orange fruit chews in half and shape each piece into a small carrot. Shape the remaining 6 fruit chews into 6 large carrots. Score the side of each carrot with a knife. Rub the sides of the carrots with the cinnamon to make them look freshly pulled from the garden. Use a round toothpick to make a small hole in the large end of each carrot. Cut 2 of the green fruit chews into thin strips and roll each strip between your fingers to look like carrot tops. Press 4 or 5 strips into the hole in the top of each carrot. Arrange the carrots, overlapping slightly, on top of 5 cupcakes.

Peas

Makes 5 pea-pod cupcakes

Roll out each of the remaining 5 green fruit chews into a 3-by-1-inch oval ⅛ inch thick. Press 4 green candy-coated chocolates onto one side of each oval. Fold the other side over to cover the candies slightly. Pinch the ends and place 1 pea pod on top of each of 5 cupcakes. Cut the green licorice laces into various lengths and arrange them around the pea pods to make the vines.

Shovels

Makes 2 shovel cupcakes

Insert the shovel blades into the frosting on top of 2 cupcakes, scatter a few sunflower seeds around the shovels, and place in the rows with the radishes and lettuce.

Signs

Makes 4 seed-pack cupcakes

Insert the pretzel end of each seed-pack sign into the top of each of 4 cupcakes and place at the head of the rows.